Same Team Mentality

THE COMPLEMENTARY ROLES OF FRATERNITY/SORORITY ADVISORS ANDCAMPUS CONDUCT STAFF WHEN ADDRESSING ORGANIZATIONAL MISCONDUCT

Collaboration in the area of fraternity/sorority alleged misconduct is an important issue and not a new conversation.

During a recent external review/campus consultation visit, a senior level administrator asked, “At what point do we say enough is enough and stop trying to partner with fraternity headquarters on chapter conduct matters?” Being familiar with the campus culture and operations, I responded with the question, “What parties are involved in the partnership?”

The response: “Student conduct staff and HQ staff.”

The missing link in this scenario is the campus fraternity/sorority advisor. It would be naive to assume this question is unique to a particular campus. Over time, many universities have intentionally moved away from conduct models that rely on the campus fraternity/sorority advisor to investigate and adjudicate fraternity/sorority misconduct. The intention of this shift was for the role of the fraternity/ sorority advisor to serve as both a support system and an advocate.

While the reason for this shift was relevant then and is still relevant today, the fact is, a true partnership does not work in isolation. With all of the stakeholders involved in fraternities and sororities, working to address issues of alleged misconduct continues to become more complex.

Strong working partnerships between inter/national organizations and host institutions are essential; however, these strong partnerships cannot exist without a collaborative relationship between the campus fraternity/sorority advisors and student conduct administrators.

MAKING THE CASE

Put simply, if a fraternity or sorority has been through a university conduct process and the fraternity/ sorority advisor did not have a seat at the table, the process is broken and change is needed.

Thompson and Perry (2006) share:

When advocating for change, buy-in is necessary. Collaboration is when everybody brings something to the table (expertise, money, ability to grant permission). They put it on the table, take their hands off, and then the team creates from there. [It] is transforming in the sense that you don’t leave the same way you came in. There’s some sort of change. You give up part of yourself. Something new has to be created. Something happens differently because of the process.

This is a beautiful concept when viewed through the lens of fraternity/sorority and student conduct. Now, more than ever, the need for intentional collaboration on issues of organizational misconduct is crucial. The age of organizational isolation is dead.

BEING A CONNECTOR

Determining who is in a unique position to assist in addressing issues of organizational misconduct should not be a difficult task; however, challenging conventional wisdom can be daunting.

In his book, The Tipping Point, Malcolm Gladwell uses the term “connector” to describe individuals within an organization with multiple ties to different networks of people. Gladwell suggests it is not the number of people the connector knows; rather it is their ability to link people, ideas, and resources. Connectors are crucial facilitators when it comes to collaboration (Ibarra & Morten, 2011).

When viewing collaboration through a connector lens, it becomes much easier to uncover myths of conventional wisdom, and to identify the ways in which both fraternity/sorority advisors and student conduct administrators are uniquely positioned to address organizational misconduct.

Student Conduct Administrator:

• Local, state, and federal law and how these issues affect higher education

• Institution policy, code of conduct, student rightsand responsibilities

• Due process within the organizational conduct process

• Expertise in the subject matter

• National trends in the area of student conduct

• Matters of past precedent

Fraternity/Sorority Advisor:

• Points of contact for headquarters staff

• Office policies, inter/national organization policies, council policies

• Ability to assist in creating meaningful and effective sanctions (symptom vs problem analysis)

• National trends in the area of the fraternal industry

• Community insight and knowledge – ability to help connect dots related to:

• Membership statistics trends

• Chapter GPA trends, specifically new member trends

• Social events or other high risk activities within the community

• Helpful investigation tips, such as types of questions to ask specific organizations, student leaders with strong moral compass

Fraternities and sororities are complex organizations that exist in an even more complex system. Therefore, cookie-cutter techniques and sanctions often fall short in addressing underlying factors causing the issue. Student conduct administrators are uniquely positioned to document, execute, and track sanctions and outcomes, whereas, fraternity/sorority advisors are uniquely positioned to provide context and add nuance in assisting the development of individualized outcomes that address the behavior.

Utilizing a care and concern approach provides an opportunity for fraternity/sorority advisors to play a valuable role in the conduct process, specifically when it comes to chapter investigations. If a case were to be hazing related, the student conduct administrator might be best positioned to meet with the alleged parties per the investigation process, while the fraternity/sorority advisor has a unique opportunity to meet with the alleged victims, such as new members prior to the formal investigation beginning. Care and concern is an important component often left out of the investigation processes, especially when interim suspensions or no-contact orders are in place between initiated members and new members.

Not only does the care and concern approach provide space for the fraternity/sorority advisor to serve as a support system during times of distress for students, but it is also an opportunity to assess the situation through body language, questions asked, and information shared. All of which can be extremely helpful information for the investigation team.

ADDRESSING THE ELEPHANT IN THE ROOM

There is likely a reason for the lack of collaboration between student conduct offices and fraternity and sorority offices. It could simply be a lack of effort to work as a team. Other common reasons include lack of trust, disjointed conceptions of the problem, or even misconceptions of what the other stakeholders believe or desire (Grey, 1987). Somewhere along the way, professionals have directly or indirectly encountered negative partnership experiences that create trust issues, and other barriers for future partnerships. Before throwing in the towel, and assuming the student conduct administrator is unwilling to collaborate, start building trust by acknowledging obstacles and hesitations.

STRATEGIES FOR SUCCESS

Relationships Matter: The one thing every relationship must have in order to survive is trust. It is harder to hate people close up (Brown, 2017, p.84). The same is true for negative assumptions. It is easy to assume negative intentions from a distance. Until rapport is built and the foundation of a relationship is established, we will never move past assumptions.

Opportunities to build positive relations across departments are no different than making the effort to get to know a new staff member. Whatever the strategy to build relations, it is important for both sides to take an opportunity to be vulnerable by sharing concerns related to fraternity and sorority conduct matters. This will allow for honest dialogue and idea sharing on how said matters can be addressed through a collaborative approach.

An effective way to build working relationships, and to ensure transparency, is to have a recurring meeting with those who have a role in fraternity/sorority conduct. Depending on the staffing structure at an institution, this could be done differently. However, the goal is to be transparent and to break down any power dynamics. For example, if the staffing model for the fraternity/sorority office consists of a director and multiple council advisors, each of these individuals are positioned to add value to the team. While only having input from the director, or a single council advisor, may make sense when considering ways to maximize time, such a model drastically minimizes the benefit diverse perspectives provide.

Reporting: With increased media attention, campus awareness, and education efforts, one should be prepared for reports related to fraternity/sorority behavior. Such reports may come from campus partners, community members, parents/families, peers, or general observers. While we know increased reporting is typically a positive sign, indicating heightened awareness of the problem and lower levels of tolerance, it is crucial any and all parties receiving reports are trained and capable of handling such information appropriately.

Reports of alleged misconduct will likely go to the fraternity/ sorority office from a concerned parent or community member, bypassing the student conduct office. Therefore, having protocol in place is crucial. Important things to consider when developing reporting protocol include:

• How to properly respond to reports made over the phone

• Provide training to student workers or office managers on important questions to ask, information to write down, and who to direct the call to

• Online and anonymous reporting

• Who receives notification of report

• What are the steps taken upon receipt

• What is the duty to care

Among the various methods of reporting, anonymous reporting is becoming more common within higher education. Despite increased popularity, it is not uncommon for a campus to face roadblocks due to institutional practices that prevent student conduct administrators from further investigating by method of interview if an anonymous report provides limited basis for a case, or does not entail sufficient information.

While this practice creates significant issues for conduct administrators in their legal duty to care, this is where assistance from the fraternity/sorority advisor can be beneficial. Since student conduct administrators may not be in a position to gather additional information on an anonymous report, the fraternity/sorority advisor is in a unique position to help fill in gaps. This can be accomplished by contacting new members to check in on their first semester of college, and their new member experience. If the advisor utilizes the right questions, this can be of tremendous value for the student conduct administrator in following up on alleged violations, especially when determining if a report warrants further investigation.

Other important types of reports include campus police reports, campus alcohol transports, and residence hall reports. If an institution has a partnership with a local or campus police department, the fraternity/sorority advisor should be on a first name basis with police department officials. Chances are, all student related reports are making their way to an administrator’s inbox, and the staff member responsible for one of the highest risk student populations on a college campus should be included in this communication.

Communication and Information Sharing: As with any group, team, or organization, communication is key. Considerations for creating preferred methods of communication should consist of the following:

• Identify the direct contact for chapter officers, advisors, and headquarters staff, regarding alleged organizational misconduct.

• Identify the staff member responsible for oversight of organizational sanctions.

• Create a communication plan for notifying headquarters staff.

Both fraternity/sorority advisors and student conduct administrators should understand when and what information should be shared. Easy access to important information is crucial to both parties, such as:

• Membership rosters and the ability to track roster changes

• Event registration details

• Historical context of specific events and activities

• Investigative summaries and findings

TEAMWORK MAKES THE DREAM WORK

It is time to rethink what advocacy and support looks like as fraternity/sorority advisors. At the end of the day, the purpose of fraternity/sorority advisors and student conduct administrators is to provide support and advocate for positive experiences for all students. It is time to stop hiding behind the good cop vs. bad cop façade, and do what needs to be done to change culture and create safe and healthy communities. Working in silos will continue to have negative implications on the organizations in desperate need of a system that works to create holistic change. Administrators must stop making excuses and pointing fingers. It is time to join forces and play a part in fixing what is broken. This starts by having a “same team” mentality.

AUTHOR BIO

Donald Abels

Louisiana State University

Donald Abels serves as the Assistant Director of Greek Life and IFC advisor at Louisiana State University. He has previously worked in fraternity and sorority life at the University of Mississippi and Middle Tennessee State University. He provides education and training to campus and inter/ national organizations in the areas of harm reduction, accountability, and organizational development.